In addition to the desert, there is a forested area called Tonto National Forest spreading northeast of Phoenix. While there are still many desert locations I want to visit, the heat limits daytime activities. Also, changing the environment dramatically increases the chance of encountering different creatures, so this time I decided to walk through the forest.
I chose Horton Creek Trail, which has relatively good access and promises a clearly non-desert ecosystem.I arrived at the trailhead a little after 6 a.m. By the time I returned around 9 to 10 a.m., cars were already waiting for parking spaces.It’s been a while since I walked through greenery.A Brown Creeper darting up and down the tree trunks. It’s hard to capture in the still dim forest.A Northern Flicker. This species has two color variations: the Red-shafted with red cheeks and the Yellow-shafted with a red nape. This one is Red-shafted.A female Northern Flicker.An Abert’s Squirrel. The tufts of fur on its ears are very noticeable.It’s busy climbing up and down the pines and jumping between branches.As the name “Creek” suggests, the trail follows a small stream. There are places where you can camp as well.A Steller’s Jay. I didn’t get a good look at it.Something swooped overhead, so I took a picture just in case. It was my first sighting of a Mourning Dove. This bird is said to be one of the most populous species in North America, so it’s strange that I hadn’t seen it up close before.A group of Mexican Jays moved through the forest noisily. They didn’t come very close.An unidentified species with only its yellow rump captured.Occasionally spotted, a Spotted Towhee.Probably a Desert Spiny Lizard.A Violet-green Swallow resting on the tip of a distant dead tree. Since the males have green from the shoulders to the head, this is likely a female. They are widely distributed along the west coast of North America. I’d like to observe them more closely in the future.
